Eli Manning Out With Heel Pain?

NY Giants quarterback, Eli Manning, was just diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of a ligament under the foot. This ligament is very strong and thick and runs from the heel bone across the arch and into the ball of the foot.

The question right now is should Eli play on Sunday and possibly risk the season. In the late 1930s, Yankee centerfielder, Joe DiMaggio, sat out three months with plantar fasciitis. Times have changed and medical treatments have greatly improved since then.

The condition can come about in several ways. Usually in the non-athlete it occurs between the ages of 35-55 and can come about from faulty foot mechanics. The foot moves in a direction called pronation and the ligament then stretches. When the foot over-pronates (the heel turning outward), the ligament will stretch excessively. Over time, this will cause the ligament to become inflammed.

For an athlete like Eli Manning, all that is needed is for him to turn his foot in the wrong direction, or to plant it and rotate the foot excessively, to bring about the condition.

Plantar fasciitis can be very painful. Imagine having pain in the heel or arch with every step you take. Then try to plant that painful foot and throw a football down field with some force. Now lets add another factor. Planting your painful foot and then moving real fast when some 300 pound linebacker is coming at you. This can lead to favoring the foot and now setting yourself up for another injury, such as a knee.

Treatment can consist of taping, steroid injections, shoe modifications, orthotic inserts, rest, ice and physical therapy. The good news is that the injury rarely needs an invasive surgical procedure. There are minor procedures such as cryotherapy or extracorporeal shock wave therapy. These treatments are meant for the chronic type of plantar fasciitis.

In my opinion, if Eli can't plant is foot fully and move quickly, he should take the week off and get ready for New Orleans.

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